


Sharp

by TrainRush



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [4]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Serious Injuries, it’s not described in extensive detail but it’s Described
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29188611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrainRush/pseuds/TrainRush
Summary: DAY 4: impalingGetting impaled was not on the Conductor’s schedule for that day.—(or, alternatively, the conductor goes into the basement to inspect a malfunctioning machine.)
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105115
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Sharp

As he waited for the elevator to finish its descent, the Conductor tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. 

In a day already filled to the brim with important meetings and filming, much to his luck, yet another thing was needing his attention. Apparently an owl had called from the basement reporting that a piece of machinery was severely malfunctioning. And, of course, of _all the people,_ the owls called upon _him_ to go and fix it. Why they couldn’t have just found an actual repairman was beyond him. But apparently it was urgent enough, so there he stood in the elevator, slowly going down and down into the basement.

The elevator ride, clunky and slow, annoyed the Conductor, and he growled at it before checking his pocket watch. If he was lucky, this machine would only take a kick in the side to fix it. If he was unlucky, as the day had so far proven, he’d have to do what the owls had failed to and call an actual repairman. If that were the case, it would take at least another half an hour to sort everything out. All things considered, he found himself hoping for once that his owls were overreacting.

When the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened, the Conductor sighed and began making his way to the spot where his owls had reported the broken machine was.

—

Even before he could even see it, the Conductor knew his hopes of the malfunction being small would be broken.

As he passed into its vicinity, around the area the owls had described, he could hear it almost immediately. The noise was an odd, clanking, chopping sound that sounded almost akin to a broken washing machine. It echoed from the walls and signaled disruption. From there he was able to follow the sound to the machine in question that was failing.

It appeared to be a part of an AC unit, but the blades were spinning far too fast and were almost rocking the machine off of its spot on the wall. The screws were very loose, and the screen had already fallen. The Conductor didn’t want to get too close to the thing — his instincts immediately told him it was dangerous — so he stood back for a moment, assessing what to do. On one hand, he could call the repairman right away, as he probably couldn’t solve the issue on his own. On the other, he’d dealt with… _somewhat_ similar problems with his train before, and he could try and give it a shot himself.

_It couldn’t be that bad, right?_

The Conductor walked slowly towards the machine, eyeing it for a moment. The blades on it almost seemed to be speeding up, if it were possible. It also seemed to be getting louder. Neither was a good sign, and it made him uneasy.

He looked around for a moment. If he got injured, would anybody be around to help?

But it seemed he was completely alone in this part of the studio. He knew that should have dissuaded him from trying this on his own, but...

He almost snorted. Even the owl who first found the machine had left him to deal with it alone. _How kind of them,_ he thought sarcastically.

Nervously, the Conductor turned to face the machine again. Something told him this wasn’t going to end well, but he was never one to go back on a decision. And besides, maybe he wouldn’t have to waste time on calling a repairman.

He approached the machine.

At first, he felt some of his anxieties melt away. His thoughts reassured him that this repair wouldn’t be any different than the ones he did on his train, helping to add to the Conductor’s confidence, and he found himself approaching the machine with ease.

That was, until it popped a screw that flew through the air and only missed him by an inch.

His confidence immediately dropped away, and he froze in his place. If that had hit him…

He turned back to the machine, which looked even more unstable than it was before. The sound of scraping metal increased in volume and sent shivers down the Conductor’s spine. Nervously, he took a step forward. And then another. Slowly, he began to approach it again, recovering from the earlier scare.

It took a moment, but the Conductor eventually ended up right in front of it. As he examined it, though, he felt his confidence leave him once again, replaced by upset annoyance. Nothing about the machine even looked remotely similar to the ones on his train. He scowled, though he supposed he should have guessed that it would have been the case. Reaching into his pocket for his phone to call a repairman down, he looked away for just a moment—

A loud _clang_ from the machine made him jump. His gaze flew back to the machine and he backed away a step.

The machine continued to clatter.

The Conductor reached for his phone again—

_Bang._

…

…

Everything happened in a sudden flash. The machine exploded, with burning hot debris flying in every direction. Nails, shrapnel, and plates of metal flew across the room, almost like an indoor firework. The Conductor’s vision blinded for a minute with the initial combustion, then cleared, then blinded again as the pain set in.

He had been completely pelted, falling backwards from the force of it all.

His ears were ringing. Pain burned from every spot that he’d been hit and cut. Nails stuck to his face, and bits of metal went deep beyond his coat. It felt like he was burning. Was he on fire? Or was it just the pain? No matter which, it hurt like hellfire. And it was terrifying.

The Conductor tried opening his eyes, but his vision was bright and blurry from tears and soot. He tried blinking it away. Nothing changed. The more he became aware of his pain, the more it seemed to hurt. It hurt to even breathe. ...Oh, god, it hurt so bad to breathe. His chest might as well have been tearing apart at the seams.

He tried looking once again, and this time, his vision cleared just enough that he could see what the explosion had done to him. Not only was his suit completely ruined, but his blood had stained it in multiple spots. There was even a small pool of blood accumulating on the ground underneath him, which oddly enough confused him. The worst of his injuries were deeper gashes. Had they—

He saw it.

Wedged deep in his gut, a piece of metal had completely impaled him.

As it clicked, the pain almost immediately started up. His vision quickly drained of color and he closed his eyes in pain. Quietly, he cried out, though the pressure on his chest only made his pain worse. He couldn’t move. He could hardly even breathe without feeling the object in his side. Slowly, the Conductor’s consciousness was melting away into unconsciousness, but he didn’t want to fall asleep. He didn’t know what that would entail. This wasn’t how he’d planned to die. He didn’t want to die yet.

He could feel the blood trickling down his side.

He could feel his heartbeat in every part of his body.

He slipped away.

—

The Conductor’s owls had approached DJ Grooves in a frenzied panic. They had apparently sent their boss down into the basement to work on a piece of broken machinery, but they were concerned with how dangerous it could have been, and they wanted to check on him. Grooves, now sharing their concern, agreed to tag along with them to search for the Conductor. Surely nothing terrible had gone wrong, but by the sound of how dangerous the malfunction was, he needed to see for himself. Conductor was a capable man, for sure — he did all the repairs on his train by himself — but the workings of the basement were much different than any train.

The owls led the way towards where they had remembered the broken machine was at. As they walked, Grooves glanced around the basement restlessly until something unusual caught his attention.

“Smoke,” he muttered. Then, he clarified, “It smells like smoke.”

Nervously, the owls nodded their agreement.

_Smoke. What on earth happened?_

As they walked, Grooves noticed that the smell of smoke only got stronger and stronger. They stopped behind a stack of boxes.

“O-on the other side,” an owl spoke up. “That’s where it was.”

“Thank you, darling,” he said, flashing a nervous smile at the owl.

Hesitantly, DJ Grooves stepped around the corner.

What he saw was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

On the far wall, what was presumably the machine the owls had been referring to had completely exploded. The wall was covered in soot and it still smoked where the machine had once been. All across the ground were nails and sharp shards of metal, some of which had blood on them. Blood splatters also littered the floor directly behind where the machine had once been. And then, of course, in the middle of the floor was the Conductor, half-mangled and plenty burned. Nails stuck out of his skin, with gashes covering his face and chest. If he looked hard enough, he could even see dried tears on his face. But worst of all was the long, thin piece of metal that directly impaled him.

Grooves felt like he was going to be sick.

Horrified, he turned away from the scene and almost sprinted back to where the owls were. He gave them a hurried message to call the paramedics immediately before turning away again, struck with the question of whether or not the Conductor was even alive.

Still sickened and terrified, Grooves returned to the scene. Hesitantly, he approached the Conductor, being careful not to step on any metal or in any blood. When he reached the other, Grooves carefully crouched down and attempted to feel for his pulse. Much to his relief, the Conductor was still alive, but by the way he was completely unresponsive, Grooves assumed he was unconscious. He wasn’t surprised; the pain would have knocked anyone out instantly. 

He heard gasps from behind him and turned to see that the owls had come to look. Quickly, Grooves reassured them that the Conductor was still alive, though unconscious. Getting back up, he returned to the owls and ordered them to go back upstairs so that they could guide the paramedics down to the basement.

Grooves turned back around to look at the Conductor as tears clouded his vision.

_Please…_

_Be okay._


End file.
